Throughout the eleven-season run of The Walking Dead, viewers watched as some of their favorite characters died. Some deaths were expected, but others, like the beheading of Hershel (Scott Wilson) or Glenn’s (Steven Yeun) bludgeoning by Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), were quite a shock. One surprising death was that of Carl Grimes (Chandler Riggs). Many believe that his death was the beginning of the series.

Carl Grimes, son of Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and Lori (Sarah Wayne Callies), was introduced in the series during the pilot episode. Actor Chandler Riggs was only 10 when he was cast in the role that would carry Carl’s story to the season 8 midseason premiere when Riggs was 18 and Carl 14.

2 reasons Carl’s death hit many viewers so hard

The first is the fact that we literally watched him grow up on screen. He began his story as a naive young boy dealing with the loss of his father and what seemed to be the end of the world. During his journey, he experienced significant loss and was forced to deal with issues no young child should have.

The second reason was that his comic book counterpart outlived the story to carry on the Grimes legacy. By the end of the comic Carl was married, had a child, and was much older, as the story featured a 25 year time jump. Fans believed this secured his fate.

Walking Dead episode 809, Honor

Carl’s death episode comes after the previous episode’s cliffhanger when he revealed that he had been bitten by a walker on the abdomen. While trying to save Siddiq (Avi Nash), they encounter some walkers and fight them off, then Carl is caught off guard and is bitten. Many times viewers have seen bitten limbs amputated to save a life, but unfortunately the location of Carl’s bite didn’t allow for the life saving procedure.

Carl was the first to encounter Saddiq in the first episode of the season. He asked Carl for help as he had not eaten in days. He quoted the Quran, “My mercy prevails over my wrath.” Rick arrived and shot warning shots over the stranger’s head, which caused him to flee. Rick tells Carl they can’t risk welcoming this stranger as he could be a spy for the Saviors. Later, Carl leaves him two cans of food with a note that reads: Sorry. When they next meet, Carl sneaks Saddiq into Alexandria via the sewers.

The episode did a fantastic job of saying goodbye to a character who had been with the series since the beginning. Carl was able to spend time with his sister Judith and write letters to those he cared about. It’s unfortunate that this calm, peaceful Carl was only revealed at this point. He could have been a much more likable character had viewers seen more of this from him.

It was difficult to guess who would be the one to put Carl down when the time came. In a shocking move, Carl opted to take his life to protect Rick and Michonne (Danai Gurira) from carrying that burden. One of the moments that was the most heartbreaking was hearing the gun shot and Rick and Michonne both visibly flinch.